Wade blames anti-LGBTQ policies for leaving Florida, now courted for Senate run.

Florida Democrats Look to NBA Legends to Take on Rick Scott in 2024 Senate Race

Florida Democrats are hoping to bring some Magic to the 2024 Senate race by recruiting NBA legends Grant Hill and Dwyane Wade to challenge Republican Rick Scott. Hill, who played for the Orlando Magic in the 2000s, and Wade, who spent most of his career with the Miami Heat, are both being considered as potential candidates.

Grant Hill: A Smart and Competitive Candidate

According to NBC News, Hill has been approached by Democratic donor and business partner John Morgan about a potential run. Morgan believes that Hill’s name recognition and intelligence would make him a formidable opponent against Scott. “Grant Hill would beat the s*** out of Rick Scott,” Morgan said.

Hill, a Hall of Fame guard/forward, still lives in the Orlando area and is a part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks. He is also a successful real estate developer and has endorsed several political candidates, including John Kerry, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton.

Dwyane Wade: A Florida Legend and LGBT Advocate

Democratic donors are also considering Wade, who won three championships with the Miami Heat and is a vocal advocate for transgender rights. In 2020, Wade announced that his preteen son had come out as transgender and changed her name to Zaya. Wade and his wife have been vocal supporters of the LGBT community.

However, Wade left Florida after retiring from the NBA and has expressed discomfort with recent legislation, including the Parental Rights in Education Bill, which prohibits schools from discussing gender and sexuality with students in grades K-3. “My family would not be accepted or feel comfortable there,” Wade said.

Despite this, Ray Paultre, the executive director of the progressive donor coalition Florida Alliance, believes that Wade would make a strong candidate. “Dwyane Wade is a Florida legend, whose leadership past and present has a lot of folks in our state sending feelers out,” Paultre said.

Challenging Rick Scott in a Rightward-Shifting State

Scott narrowly defeated Democrat Bill Nelson in 2018, but the state has since shifted rightward. Marco Rubio won his Senate race in 2020 by a large margin, and Governor Ron DeSantis won re-election by an even larger margin. However, Democrats are hopeful that Hill or Wade could put the Heat on Scott and turn the tide in their favor.

• Grant Hill is a smart and competitive candidate with name recognition and political experience.
• Dwyane Wade is a Florida legend and LGBT advocate, but has expressed discomfort with recent legislation.
• Florida has shifted rightward since Scott’s narrow victory in 2018, but Democrats are hopeful that Hill or Wade could turn the tide in their favor.